International Food Information Council - Joseph Clayton will become CEO, effective July 11. Clayton also will serve as CEO of the IFIC Foundation. He will succeed David B. Schmidt, who is stepping down after 23 years with IFIC, the past 10 as CEO. Clayton is currently the interim president of the American Frozen Food Institute. He was AFFI public affairs EVP. Previously, he was EVP at Golin International and CEO at Widmeyer Communications.Earlier he was a legislative assistant for Sen. Alan Dixon, D-Ill. He is a member of the Board of Visitors, Department of Political Science, University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He earned a B.A. in political science and government at the University of Illinois at
National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation - Mark Poeschl will become CEO, effective Aug. 1.Poeschl will succeed Dwight Armstrong, who announced his retirement in December. Last month, Armstrong was honored with the 2016 Agribusiness Leader of the Year award by the National Agri-Marketing Association. Poeschl currently serves as a VP at Cargill Animal Nutrition. He is also a former FFA member and former state FFA president from Nebraska. He and his wife, Nancy, have also served as judges in the National FFA Convention in the past. They established a scholarship endowment for FFA members through the National FFA Foundation.
American Society for Cell Biology - Erika Shugart will be the new executive director, effective June 1. She succeeds Stefano Bertuzzi, who left in December to become CEO of the American Society for Microbiology. ASCP finance and administration senior director Cynthia Godes served as interim executive director. Shugart has been communications and marketing strategy director at American Society for Microbiology since 2013. Previously she was deputy director of the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. Earlier she directed the NAS Office on Public Understanding of Science. In 2010, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She also had her own consulting business. She was a AAAS Noyce Leadership Fellow from 2012 to 2013. In 2007, she was named an Individual Distinguished Service Award winner by the NAS. She earned a PhD in biology at the University of Virginia.
AGC Arkansas - J. Kelly Robbins has been named EVP of the Arkansas Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America. Most recently, he served as the EVP of the Arkansas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association. He is a member of ASAE, the Arkansas Society of Professional Lobbyists and the Arkansas Officials Association.
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation - Adam Sharp will be the new EVP, effective July 18. Sharp succeeds John C. “Jack” Fisher, who will retired after serving as EVP since 1996. Sharp has worked at the bureau since 2004. He currently is public policy VP. Earlier he worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Farm Bureau Federation as government relations director. He owns a family farm with his brothers, as well. Sharp graduated from Ohio State University in 1994 where he majored in agricultural communications. BeecherHill assisted in the search.
Motion Picture Association of America - Matt Bennett to corporate communications EVP, from SVP, Racepoint Global, a P.R. firm. He succeeds Laura Nichols, who left MPAA in February to become chief communications officer at National Geographic Partners.
Urban Land Institute - Adam Smolyar to chief marketing and membership officer, from principal, Rayloms.
Indiana Chamber - Greg Ellis to energy and environmental policy VP, from administrative law judge, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Ellis succeeds Vince Griffin, who retired in April after 18 years.
Vermont Medical Society - Jessa Barnard to policy VP.
At National Confectioners Association:
- Elise Fennig to chief of staff, a new position, from industry development associate director, Kraft Heinz Co.
- Karen Horan, from senior director to VP, global business development
- Laura Shumow, from senior director to VP, scientific and regulatory affairs.
VP appointments at Global Business Travel Association:
- Caitlin Gomez, business development, from HRG North America. As a GBTA member, she co-founded the GBTA Ladders program and was also named Allied Member of the Year in 2014.
- Matt Konetschni, professional development & training. He joined GBTA staff in 2012 and oversaw the development and launch of GBTA’s Advanced Principles of Business Travel Management. He will now oversee the GTP Certification and China’s Gift of Knowledge Initiativel.
- Eric Weaver to HR, from Parrillo Associates, where he managed the consulting relationship with the U.S. General Services Administration.
New executive for food group, plus several other appointments